The hammering echoed in the workshop deep into the night. Estria was wholly consumed in shaping the purified Camptosium into the part she needed. Therefore, she was oblivious to the entity unlocking the door and sneaking into the workshop. Then, after the entity had briefly studied the room, they leaned against the wall.

  “I can regenerate your legs, you know.”

  The hammer in the blacksmith’s hand flew backward in her shock, to which the entity caught it midair before placing it on a nearby table. She hastily turned around, her giant hands readied for combat.

  “And here I thought demons are supposed to be fearless.”

  The entity stepped into the light, revealing themselves to be none other than Purple.

  “It’s you.” Her giant hands lowered. “The Terror of The East. Ryder’s-”

  “Companion.” The dragon was in his usual draconic form. “And he has been wasting too much of his time helping you, little demoness. I grew tired of waiting, so I’m giving you an offer to speed things up. I can regenerate your legs, and you can tell him to fuck off already.”

  The demon stared at him. A cataclysm incarnate that had no doubt killed thousands to earn his title, and one that could end her life with a single flick of his finger. She stared at him, unperturbed, as the edges of her mouth curved upward.

  “No need. My legs over there are almost complete. Thank you for coming all this way to give me an offer, though. That’s nice of you, even though we’ve never met.”

  Purple’s eyes widened, and narrowed. Stepping forward, his body expanded and his voice deepened.

  “You dare reject my offer, DEMON?!”

  His roar, so powerful that it shook the entire building, and pushed her wheelchair back until it slammed against her worktable. There were also weak purple electricity jumping between his horns.

  “Do you think I don’t know your other title because I didn’t grow up with the demons?” Estria wiped her lenses. “You may be Ryder’s companion, but I’m not stupid enough to trust The Demise of Demons to give me a pair of legs that won’t lead to my death, one way or another.”

   There was stillness in his glare. A few seconds later, he shrunk back down and looked away. “You’ve made a good point, demoness. I must be losing my touch for not coming up with that idea.”

  “If you don’t mind, I would like to go back to my-”

  “What if I use a Pact of Promise, hmm? Even I cannot defy one.” His pupils shifted its focus back to her.

  “I don’t need it. Mechanical legs are cooler than biological ones.” The blacksmith turned around and picked up another tool.

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  Purple gritted his teeth. “I suggest you stop testing my patience, demon. I can destroy your legs with a single swing of my fist-”

  “And upset Ryder? He told me about your pact. You don’t think he won’t get sick of you and search for your sister instead? Do you really want to return to your prison so soon after leaving it?” Sparks started flying on her table.

  The dragon growled. Moments later, his mouth curved upward forcefully.

  “I admit, I didn’t expect a demon raised by a bleeding-heart mortal would have the nerves of orihalcum. You have my praise.”

  He approached the chair Ryder rested on before and dropped down.

  “It’s an honor to be complimented by my race’s worst nightmare.” The demon spoke in a purposeful monotonous voice.

  A lull was introduced as Purple observed the blacksmith, his finger tapping rhythmically on the handle.

  “Why do you insist on entrusting your life to a machinery that would cease to function at the smallest damage in the wrong place? Demon biology is far more resilient than this metallic toy. Such complex, interlocking legs would no doubt require arduous maintenance as well. Are you rejecting my offer out of spite?”

  “Ha! Spite, he says. Not at all, Purple. I simply see it as an opportunity to express myself and show the world what I’m capable of.”

  “Ah, so the demon prefers artistic expression over her own survival. Foolishness. Why do you think demons are so feared even when they don’t have their dark magic, hmm? Have you ever heard of a mortal that managed to outrun a demon without the use of magic? Even now, I’ve yet to come across an exaggerated rumor of one who achieves that feat, and I know how much mortals love to show off. I’ve also never heard of someone who loves to be a cripple as much as you do.”

  “Aww, I didn’t think you would care about a demon like me this much. That’s sweet.”

  A chunk of the building’s floor was whipped away by the dragon’s tail as he snarled.

  “As a demon,” her tool left her hand as she took off her goggles, “even if I become the world’s most famous blacksmith, there will still be people doubting my work. Right now, even people who personally know my master brush my work aside simply because of what I look like.”

  The blacksmith turned to him with a confident smile. “As you said, no one had ever managed to outrun a demon before. So, what’s a better way to prove to everyone that my stellar work can be trusted than to achieve that very feat with a pair of legs I made myself? They may still look at me with disgust, but they will have no choice but to acknowledge my abilities.”

  “That guarantees nothing. They’ll still burn your shop down if they think you’re looking at them funny.”

  “True. However, I can count the number of better ways to display my worth with only one hand, and I don’t plan to rely on Ryder to advertise my name. If I can’t even make something that I can depend my life on, then how will I ever convince my potential customers that my work will save theirs?”

  The dragon furrowed. The tapping became faster, but no rebuttal was attempted.

  “I know your story, Purple. Before you became the Terror of The East.”

  Still no words left his mouth.

  “My master came from a tribe that had passed the story down over the generations. Much like you, I choose to live on despite the pain I have faced and will face in the future. Our tragedies,” she swiped her hand across where her legs would be, “don’t define us, neither does our nature.”

  “Hmph. You speak as if your tragedy is even on the same plane as mine. I would be insulted if I weren’t amused by your shoddy attempt to make me relate to you.”

  “Then I still succeeded, since you have been entertained by me.”

  “You little-”

  “If there’s nothing else, o great Demise, I’d like to get back to my work. The sooner I finish, the sooner Ryder will be able to leave. You want that, don’t you?”

  Purple stood up with a surly expression and left the building. He could faintly hear the demon behind him bidding goodbye as he flew away. Once he was high up in the sky, the edges of his lips curved up a little.